The Many Faces of Mekakushi Dan
by Breaking Ranks
Summary: A collections of gender-bent one-shots I am creating. Second chapter: Sukei finally agrees to teach Marion how to bake, but was it just not meant to be? (Pardon the names, please.) Requests open.
1. Chapter 1

"Geez," Shintara rolled her eyes, looking down at the paper marred by an ugly red 67 resting in her hand. The other one balanced her on the desk she leant on as she inspected the failed quiz with a critiquing eye. "My brother could score better on this, and he's a complete airhead." Ayani smiled at Shintara softly, still seated at his desk, hands folded mannerly in his lap. Shintara noted absently how the sunset's fading warm rays, highlighting his choppy dark hair, almost turned his hair red, and scarf orange.

"Not everyone's a genius, you know." He teased, adjusting the muffler wrapped snugly around his neck. It was a warm afternoon, even in the school's air conditioned classrooms, yet Ayani insisted on wearing the blasted thing. Shintara sent a wary glance his way and returned to his writing. She sighed, exasperated.

"I mean, 'What is the chemical formula for photosynthesis?', 'Air + water + sun = sugar'? Were you even trying?"

"Would you believe me if I said yes?"

"No." Another stare, though this one was longer than the last, and he returned it with pouting expression.

"Then no."

Shintara flattened the quiz back down on his desk, letting another sigh escaped her thin pale lips. "You'll never pass this semester, let alone grade at this rate."

Ayani reached out to spin the white sheet toward him, skimming down the abundance of red X's lining his handwriting.

"Maybe you could tutor me?" He asked hopefully, looking back up at her with warm brown eyes. Shintara laughed, but it was bitter and wry. Evading his gaze, she fiddled with a stray thread on the bottom of her scarlet jersey.

"You look good in it," He offered, making her hand slowly drop to her side as his words settled in her mind. _Flattery; a rather desperate road to get what he wants,_ she thought, hoping the compliment was not sincere. Feelings were a tricky and fickle thing she'd rather not get dragged into.

"Psh," She rolled her eyes once more, before resting her hand on his desk. "I won't tutor you, but note cards will have to do."

Ayani's face lit up, and he leaped from the desk, hugging Shintara's stiffened frame tightly to himself. "Thank you _so _much!" He laughed, burying his beaming face in her glossy black hair. Shintara shuddered at the close contact and at his warm breath on her scalp.

Shintara groaned and complained good-naturedly, shifting his limbs off of her, but she could not hide the red tinge in her cheeks, though she tried with vain.

"When the next test comes up," Shintara warned, staring down at the checkered tile floor. "I better see at _least _a 90. Alright?"

"Okay."

"Good." Shintara lugged a dark messenger bag onto her thin shoulder, resting her hand on the top lightly. Avoiding his eyes, she stuttered as she asked, "Hey, uh, maybe sometime, you could come visit me? I mean, for studying, of course, but, you know, I have a rabbit…"

_What?_ She scolded herself on the stupidity and shake in her voice. What she did not expect was a hand to softly cup her chin, and tilt her head upward to meet inviting brown eyes. "Sure," Ayani agreed merrily, leaning his forehead against hers. "I'll see you soon."

And with that note, he turned on heel, laughing like a child as he turned the corner. Shintara shouted an insult after him, and smiled into her palm.

_I've just been browsing Google and such, and discovered that gender-bent KagePro characters have become increasingly popular lately. I found a really well drawn picture of gender-bent Ayano and Shintaro, and I felt… inspired. So, I've decided to make some one-shots (though they will be chapters, they won't be following the same plot.) featuring the many unique characters of KagePro. Some will be pairings, others might be reflecting the past, but, all in all, it really depends on… the fan-art. And my mood. But mostly the fan-art._

_Oh, and excuse my fail gen-ben names, but it was really all I could think of that wouldn't botch the original names up _too_ bad. If you want to use them, feel free, but I can almost guarantee you'll have better luck at making up the names than moi. _

_One last thing; if you would like to request a pairing or prompt ( i.e. Ayano's past) feel more than obligated to say so. I will write any pairing, but nothing /extreme/ if you mind. But there is just one rule: one character MUST be genderbent. No exceptions, otherwise, thank you._

_Thank you for reading, and be on the look-out for updates, if you dare._


	2. Chapter 2

"You see?" Sukei asked, holding up the card written in chicken scratch to Marion's nose. Marion nodded.

"Okay." Sukei set the card against the tile of the kitchen wall carefully, so they could still be able to read as they cooked. Today, Sukei agreed to teach Marion how to cook. She went through the basics, such as demonstrating why you should not stand too closely to an open flame whilst leaning against the stove.

Sukei decided, as she ran cold water over her hand, grimacing, that they should try something were you could not get hurt easily without trying. Letting Marion look through her various cooking cards, kept in a small metal container, he picked out a white cake.

"Can you get the flour for me, please?" Sukei asked, bending back down by the blasted oven, preheating it at 350 degrees as Marion ducked below the granite counter-top to rifle through the many bags. When he emerged again, as Setou straightened, he lugged a white bag, with _White, Pure-grade Flour, _etched in blue letters. Heaving the bag onto the counter, it promptly fell on its side, spilling the powdery substance in a great cloud.

Sukei flashed a grin at the small white haired boy, and he returned a feeble smile back in return.

"I'll get the rest, but can you get down the bowls?" Marion nodded again, reaching up to the cupboard. Sukei crossed to the fridge, gathering the rest of the ingredients (a stick of butter, the egg container, milk, etc.) and setting them on the counter as she rummaged in the foyer for the rest of the things it called for.

The vanilla extract took a good minute to find, as it was hidden in the far back wall, but she found baking powder quickly. When she set the last material, white sugar, on the counter, Marion was still struggling to retrieve a mixing bowl from the top shelf. Sukei ruffled his long white hair with her hand, the other one reaching up with comical ease, letting it slip to the counter-top without a rattle.

He flushed furiously, mumbling something coherent and averting his eyes to the floor. Sukei chuckled, "Maybe you'll be better at mixing."

Sukei handed him a wooden spoon, and demonstrated how to mix the eggs and extract (she had taken the liberty of mixing the dry ingredients, as it was more difficult) with a gentle hand. Sukei offered the spoon to him, and he took it, shakily. Taking up her own bowl, she lifted it with the air of an intermediate, if not expert, (though the burns under her bandaged hand begged to differ) and mixed it rapidly as she watched him poke the spoon into the gooey concoction.

He began to stir, slowly, and his left arm came around to grasp the bowl close to him. Sukei warned him about keeping the bowl steady and flat on the counter, and he nodded mutely, eye fixed on the contents of the bowl.

When Sukei decided that it looked stirred enough, she poured Marion's bowl into hers to finish the batter. "Get me the cake pan, please." She instructed as Marion scrambled back under the counter to snatch the metal sheet. Sukei tipped the bowl over the pan, letting the milky batter flow into it with the assistance of her spoon. It filled to the walls of the pan, almost over spilling.

He watched, curiously, as she then opened the oven door, a wave of heat greeting her, and setting the pan into it quickly, shutting the door quicker.

"Now," Sukei announced, clearing the counter off and setting the bowls and spoons into the sink, "We wait."

As they idled, Sukei brought out a plate of the cake and a container of chocolate icing and two butter knives, to which she explained to him, was for the cake.

"Because," Sukei gave a closed eye grin. "A cake without frosting is like a winter without snow."

"But I don't like snow."

"Then, like a snake without scales."

"That important?"

"Yes."

When the timer she had set went off, Sukei slipped on oven mitts and carefully lifted the cake out of the oven with delicate precision.

Letting it sit on the counter, Sukei described how if you didn't let a cake cool down, when you try to ice it, the cake will stick and the frosting can't stick. After a few minutes, she stuck her butter knife through its middle, nodding in approval when it came back without any crumbs stuck to it.

She flipped it over onto the plate quickly, and it slid out without hesitation. Sukei stuck her knife into the container, and brought it back out with a far more than gracious amount of icing, and promptly slathered it onto the cake. She noticed Marion standing off awkwardly, and she put her hands on her hips, whilst making sure to not let the knife touch her clothes or counter.

"You wanted to bake, and I'm not going to do this by myself. Besides, this is the best part!" She returned to the cake, smiling when a pale hand appeared by hers, sporting the icing-mounted knife. Sukei showed him how to turn the knife at an angle when frosting the side, to better distribute the frosting, and, when they finished, she grinned again.

"Now for my favorite; getting to eat the rest of the icing!" She dipped her knife back into the container, licking the flat end when she brought it back out. Marion followed suit, and soon the jar was empty, save for the sides they couldn't reach with the knife.

"See, isn't it lovely?" Sukei asked as she slid the decked out cake into the refrigerator for that night's dessert.

"Yes, very." Marion's gaze was not on the cake, but the raven checking out her handiwork.

_Request from Selene Ilene. I enjoyed writing this, though I did not expect it to be this long. And, I really suck at cooking and try to avoid it, so if I got a step wrong, please know why. Sukei, Seto's name is this, comes from his first name, Kou'suke'. I added the 'I' to give it a more feminine air to it._

_The next chapter will be a ShinAya drabble, but if you have a request, please let me know in the form of review or private message. Reveiws are much appreciated._

_Thank you for reading, and be on the lookout for updates, if you dare._


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